Volume 76, Issue 22 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, May 8, 2019 | Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
May Day march takes over Boyle Heights, East L.A. BY JOSE CABRERA Staff Writer Centro Community Service Organization asked the community of Boyle Heights to join them in the fifth annual May Day March. The March began at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Avenure and Matthew Street and made its way to Mariachi Plaza at First Steet and Boyle Avenue where speeches were made Centro CSO is an organization that engages with communities to raise awareness on current issues like police brutally, President Donald Trump immigration policy and charter schools invading public schools and communities. Supporters gathered together in the march so that their voices could be heard across the United States. Chants of protest erupted throughout the entire route as bystanders cheered and honked in support. The marchers made a stop at the Los Angeles Police Department Hollenbeck Station to protest the police and stop the killings of innocent people. Mothers like Rosa Moreno, Lisa Vargas and Josefina Huizar, who lost their sons at the hands of police, came out to speak. The mothers pleaded with police asking to ease off their guns and search for alternative ways to handle their situation. L i s a Va rg a s i s c r e a t i n g a movement that will provide justice for the families that were affected by police shootings. “I’m here to put an end to the shooting of the innocent and provide justice and hold the murderous
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FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP—Protesters march with a sign that translates to “Fight against Trump. Legalization, no deportations” on May Day. The march was an outlet for communities to express their opinions on the Trump administration and protest police brutality and privatization on education. officers accountable for the crimes that they have committed within the community,” Vargas said. Jose Mendez’s younger sister spoke out against police. “What would you do if your child was killed by cops,” she said. She was met with cheers and the crowd moved onto Mariachi Plaza for the final rally stop. Speakers addressed the issue of charter schools invading the public school and trying to keep education
private. Luis Sifuentes, Centro CSO member, talked about how they managed to stop a charter school from being built in Boyle Heights. Sifuentes said that unionization of the community put a halt to the construction of KIPP Promesa Charter school in Boyle Heights. “Education should not be privatized. Education is for anybody that wants to achieve higher education,” Sifuentes said. The rally also focused on the
“I’m here to put an end to the shooting of the innocent and provide justice...” LISA VARGAS Protester
immigration laws that are being enforced by President Trump. Eloisa Galindo, of Eastside Parents Against Privatization, spoke out against the Trump administration. Galindo said these laws have instilled fear into the families of Boyle Heights. “No ones to live in fear in the United States and as long as we the people stick together and support each we can fight off the
opponents,” Galindo said. The marches gained support from Roosevelt High School’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.). The club said more attention should be placed on public school sinstead of separating education privileges. Along with MECHA, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles came out in full support as well as the citizens of Boyle Heights.
Hire-A-Husky job fair welcomes students, employers BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer The East Los Angeles College Career Center will host the “HireA-Husky” event to offer students a chance to apply for work opportunities. The South Gate campus will hold their event today, while the main campus will hold its event on Wednesday. Shirley Mayorga from the South Gate Career Center said that the event today was organized to help ELAC students find entry level jobs at multiple companies and businesses. Gabreila Ibarra said that multiple companies, including the Los Angeles Unified School District and Los Angeles Police Department
will be on site talking with students. Other companies stopping by the South Gate campus ranged from corporations like Nike to after school programs like the Woodcraft Rangers. Mayorga said that some of the more important things students should bring along with them are their resumes and interview questions. She emphasized that there are areas for on-site interviews for prospective applicants, and that students should come well dressed as if they were going to a planned interview. Ibarra said that even if students were not actively applying, the event is still be a good time to practice verbal skills for future interviews. Mayorga said that South Gate Financial Aid Department would
also have representatives there to help students who were looking for federal work study jobs. Dray Banks, Counselor at the Career Center, said the “Hire-AHusky” event on the main campus will be all about networking.
“A student who attends the Hire A Husky Job Fair will get a first hand chance of networking with employers...” DRAY BANKS
Career Center Counselor
He said that the center has strived to find companies that students from a variety of disciplines can take advantage of for hiring purposes. “We strive for students to get exposure in the field of their interest and establish work related skills that will help them achieve in all fields of human endeavor,” Banks said. One of the biggest suggestions Banks gave was for students to find companies that they had a moderate level of interest in and practice their interview skills with them first. This will be a quick and efficient way to prepare for companies or interviews with places that held a high level of interest for the student. Banks said that job searches happen all the time, and with the internet, it’s easier than ever to apply for work. The companies that come to the “Hire-A-Husky” event, however,
Art students sell creations Mother’s Day ceramics sale offers buyers unique gifts
ELAC’s music department will present its student recital today at noon in the S2 recital hall. Admission is free. Free parking will be in PS 4 on levels 3-5.
Staff Writer
LAST MINUTE GIFT—Ceramic pieces by art students are marked with prices, with 20 percent of the students’ proceeds going into funding the art studio. The Mother’s Day sale began yesterday and will end tomorrow. It is located in the F5 Student Center foyer.
Speech and Debate team wins big in competition Page 4
News Briefs
BY ALEJANDRO AMBRIZ
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are there for a reason. “A student who attends the Hire A Husky Job Fair will get a first hand chance of networking with employers that want to hire the ELAC student. “If a student happens to be the most attractive candidate some employers will then offer an on the spot interview in our interview room,” Banks said. The two events are great opportunities for work placement. Banks pointed out that if students felt that they needed help with their resumes or any other aspect of searching for work, they should visit the Career Center. “We are extremely excited to have everyone and offer any support in our office to best prepare for this main event,” Banks said.
Still haven’t got a Mother’s Day gift? The days are winding, but the arts students of ELAC might have a solution. Their Mother’s Day ceramics sale has an assortment of novelties that include vases with intricate patterns and smaller pieces shaped like hands and hearts. Aurora Perez, an art student and one of the organizers, said that every semester they do a big sale for the ceramics studio. “Twenty percent of everybody’s work will go back to the studio,” she said. These funds are used to buy more things for the studio and allow them to make more items. “Usually this is all we make and it’s pretty awesome,” Perez said. There are bowls, mugs, plates and vases in various sizes and colors, ranging from earth tones to the darker shades.
“Everything is handmade, some are made on the wheel, others are hand built,” art student Marlon Marinero said. He has a few pieces for sale, including a gray vase with a baby’s breath flower. Marinero said pieces can take about two or three hours total over the course of four to five days to make. This array of items for sale is the result of joint efforts between the students and faculty. “A lot of these things are just pretty pieces, or for the most part are functional,” he said. They are also handing out flyers for the summer session Arts 108 class. Students who are interested in learning about the process and how to make art pieces might consider this class. The ceramics sale began yesterday and will continue until tomorrow. It will be located in the F5 Student Center foyer from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Spring student recital
Psychology open house The South Gate Psychology Department will hold an open house tomorrow from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. in room 103. The department welcomes everyone interested in psychology to attend and learn of programs, careers, clubs and more. Refreshments will be offered.
Corrections The ELAC Orchestra concert will be May 23 and the ELAC Symphonic Band concert will be May 24. Both will be held at 8 p.m. in the S2 recital hall.
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OPINION
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
Female rockers exist, lack active representation BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer Women have been deeply intertwined with rock music since its beginning, but it still feels like there isn’t enough female representation in the genre today. At a glance, it may look like the most popular rock artists are men, and that’s because it’s true. There isn’t enough being done to promote music from female rock artists. It’s not like there aren’t any women making rock music, because there are plenty out there. Bands like Wolf Alice, The Beths, Alvvays, Shannon and the Clams, Beach House and Cherry Glazerr are all fronted by women. Then there are the rarer all-female bands like Camp Cope, The Coathangers, L.A. WITCH, Body Type, Electrelane, The Organ, Trash Kit, La Luz and Pinky Pinky. Solo artists like Melody Prochet, Courtney Barnett, Jenny O., Weyes Blood, Molly Burch, Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail, Cate Le Bon, Jackie Cohen and St. Vincent, who is renowned for her unique and prolific guitar skills, have also not reached the popularity they would have if their music was promoted more. These artists are making some of the most interesting and exciting music in rock, yet they are still being overlooked because of the music industry’s preference toward men. The lack of promotion is clear when looking under the “New releases” of Spotify’s Rock section. Currently there are no immediate results for new records by female artists. Clicking on the “see more” option yields few results, highlighting the lack of equality.
Camp Cope’s song “The Opener” offers insight into what it’s like being a female band in today’s musical landscape. “It’s another man telling us we can’t fill up the room, it’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue,” sings Georgia McDonald. “Yeah, just get a female opener, that’ll fill the quota.” Booking female artists to fill an equality quota isn’t the answer to balancing the rock genre, and booking female artists in an attempt to create the illusion of equality will only reinforce the belief that women aren’t qualified to fill the role of a rock artist. Instead, promoting women’s music at the same level as men would be much more effective. Some are doing their part like Seattle-based record label, Suicide Squeeze Records. More than half of their signed artists are bands that consist of only or mostly women. Last year, a study by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, one of the major guitar manufacturers in the world, found that 50 percent of all new guitar players in the United States and United Kingdom were women. These findings led Fender to pursue collaborations with the female-fronted band Bully and the all-female band Warpaint. The female market for traditional rock instruments is there. Rock music has come too far to keep thinking of rock as a male genre of music. It’s not. But, the music industry sticks to what it knows will sell which translates to male artists, so that’s what the public is exposed to more often. The music industry ends up leaving people to seek out female rock artists on their own.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Andrew Ayala MANAGING EDITOR Steven Adamo ONLINE EDITORS Kevin Camargo Adam Robles Alex Handy FRONT EDITOR Melody Ortiz OPINION EDITORS Juan Calvillo Giselle Arroyo NEWS EDITORS Miguel Barragan Maria Marroquin Monroy FEATURE EDITORS Luis Castilla Melisa Valenzuela
Changing gender roles falls to everyone BY KELLY VASQUEZ Staff Writer Movies, television shows and music are a constant influence on our daily lives, but the gender stereotypes they perpetuate can be troubling. The gender stereotypes that are pushed by the media are then copied by society, and it’s doing more harm than good. The gender roles we see in the media shape our everyday lives whether it’s in our personal or interpersonal relationships or in the workplace environment. The idea of gender roles are given to us at an early age. For example, when shopping for a baby girl you may go into the toy aisle and see Barbie Dolls, pink colored toys or kitchenware. When shopping for a baby boy you may see toy cars, action figures or blue colored toys. As a young girl I loved both. I would play with dolls one day and toy cars the next. Video games have also become a huge part of my life and I was fortunate enough to never see that as a “boy” thing, I just played them because I had fun. It wasn’t until I interacted with boys at school that I was then called a “tomboy” because of my unusual interests. Interests that society said girls weren’t supposed to have. The word femininity evokes stereotypes such as effortlessly beautiful, fragile, emotional, dependent on males or less intelligent. These stereotypes are then portrayed on the news where only younger looking females are cast as news anchors or as
secondary characters on television shows, like Penny from the “Big Bang Theory.” The Penny character is a dumb blonde that is surrounded by intelligent men. When women don’t follow these stereotypes they are then negatively portrayed. For example, Sandra Bullock’s character in “The Proposal” is seen as a determined and self-driven career woman, but her employees fear her and call her a witch because of her so called cold attitude. Wo m e n a r e a l s o h e a v i l y oversexualized and provide unrealistic expectations for how they are supposed to look and act. An example of that would be “Black Widow,” from Disney’s Marvel movies. When she uses her iconic costume, the main focus is on her skin tight black suit and how objectified she is. These ideas hurt women, but unfortunately women aren’t the only ones being hurt. Masculinity as per the media is associated with being strong, dominant, aggressive, confident,
powerful and in control of their emotions. Examples of this in the media can be seen in characters like Detective Stabler in Law and Order SVU. He often gets reprimanded for being aggressive in the workplace, or Noah Calhoun in the Notebook where he threatened to kill himself if Allie wouldn’t go on a date with him. Even Jordan Belfort became powerful and toxic in Wolf of Wall Street. These stereotypes set a standard for the way men must act from an early age. If they do not behave “masculine,” they are seen as weak, and they should feel shameful. This type of behavior hurts men because they are expected to keep their emotions in check and if not, they will lash out in violent ways and hurt those around them. Men are expected to be masculine so that they will be accepted by society. “There are opportunities for growth. A negative example [of how gender stereotypes are negatively portrayed in media] is Carl’s Jr. advertisements,” said Barbara
Dunshealth, a history professor and coordinator for Gender Studies on campus. “You see how they sell things while selling women’s bodies. You also saw this with the Brett Kavanaugh case in how they portrayed Christine Blasey Ford in the media as less intelligent for not being able to remember certain details.” As children we are introduced to several films and tv shows that teach us what it means to be a boy or a girl. There was recently a six year study about gender expectations in 10-14 year olds in 15 countries around the world varying in wealth development. Robert Blum, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and the director of the Global Early Adolescent Study, said “We found children at a very early age—from the most conservative to the most liberal societies—quickly internalize this myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent,” It’s no wonder these gender roles have had a hard time breaking as
well. When talking about media, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female. With that little of a number, it’s a struggle ensuring women’s stories are told truthfully in the media. Although the media has shown negative stereotypes, it is getting better. “Commercials and film have always depicted women in traditional gender roles such as doing housework. A great example of that is ‘I love Lucy.’ TV is becoming more diverse now with shows like ‘Modern Family’ and commercials with men in housework roles. It has changed but has a ways to go”, said Dunshealth. Some great examples of how the media is starting to break these gender stereotypes would be Mulan, a woman who saves all of China even when men are doubting her ability to do so. Even “Legally Blonde,” showing the titular Elle Woods admitted into Harvard Law School despite everyone around her doubted her abilities and she became the top of her class. The film even showcased the struggles women face in a male dominated workplace. More recently, “Captain Marvel” showcased Marvel’s first female lead who was exceptionally strong and intelligent. For men, the media has most recently given us Bob Parr from “Incredibles 2.” The film challenged parental roles and had Bob stay home with the kids while his wife Helen performed her superhero duties. For full version, visit www. elaccampusnews.com.
New rap talent lacks real talent BY ADAM ROBLES Staff Writer When looking at the current generation of rap music, there has been a noticeable decrease in overall quality. It’s hard not to seem like an old person yelling at the newer generation of music for not being as good as their own. But when analyzed, there is no doubt that lyrical quality has taken a huge nosedive. The fanbase of rap music is currently more divided than it ever has been due to this situation. It’s not only the fanbase, but most of the older rappers have admitted to not being fans of what the young talent is up to. Rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem have made it very clear that they don’t like what the genre is becoming. A lot of older rappers have no tolerance to what they refer to as “mumble rap.” It’s what some of the new singers are referred to as because it sounds like they mumble www.ELACCampusNews.com
when they sing. A lot of the mumble rappers have a similar look with tattoos on their faces and longer, sometimes dyed hair. There are people who lean more towards artists who have better beats in their music. A lot of rappers know this and abuse that fact. It’s very apparent when taking the time to break down their lyrics. This generation of rappers tend to reuse the same themes of drugs, sex and money in many of their songs which is lazy and not creative. All they care to do is throw in their limited vocabulary and reuse the same cadence as everyone else just to make their hit song. Proper rhyming is too much to ask for, so they just throw in some autotune and hope it works out. It’s a very telling display of how untalented new rappers are because they often rhyme by repeating the same phrase. This isn’t the case with all rappers though. There are a few rappers who have
completely separated themselves from that crowd and often destroy the mumble rappers lyrically on their tracks. The very fact that they pull themselves out of the crowd shows that their music really means something to them. It’s the complete opposite to what the “mumble” rappers do. On December 15, 2017, Eminem dropped a new album, “Revival,” after taking a four-year break from making music. Although his album reached platinum sales, it was not well received by the media . Lots of the mumble rappers and journalists began to say Eminem was now boring and out of touch with how things are in the new generation. He made songs that were lyrically advanced and discussed real life issues such as his rise to fame and the stress that put on him, a typical American cheating story. Other issues he talks about are the fact that people see him as a god while he knows he’s only human,
discussing the unfair fact that he’s “untouchable” by police compared to African Americans just because he’s white, and even the recent presidential election. Eminem really vented in this album and made sure that it was clear how much he hates our current president. His opinions on our current president were heard. Because in his surprise album, “Kamikaze,”released only months later, he claimed that the secret service was sent to his house. They wanted to check if he was actually planning on hurting the president or linked to terrorists in any way. “Kamikaze” was released August 31, 2018. The album was much more well received by its audience and critics, because the focus was shifted from Eminem being upset with society to being upset with critics and other rappers. He very explicitly pointed out the flaws within the current generation of rap. He name dropped rappers
like Tyler, the Creator, Machine Gun Kelly, Joe Budden, Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, Lil Xan, Ja Rule, Migos and Drake. He rapped about not being able to understand what half of them are talking about due to mumbling their lyrics. Even calling them out for having ghostwriters, people hired to write song lyrics without receiving credit, and not actually wanting to make meaningful statements through their songs. Eminem has been using his fame to elevate other singers that really need the mainstream attention. People who actually make statements and can storytell in their music rather than sticking to the same formulas that are played to death at this point. People like Royce Da 5’9, Joyner Lucas, Ed Sheeran, Logic and Boogie are just a few he has recently collaborated with to make beautiful masterpieces. For full version, visit www. elaccampusnews.com.
ARTS EDITORS Cher Antido Julie Santiago SPORTS EDITOR Sonny Tapia CARTOONIST Ivana Amaral COPY EDITORS Gustavo Buenrostro Stephanie Guevara Diego Linares Ivan Cazares STAFF WRITERS Noe Ortega, Jose Cabrera, Steven Cardona, Vincent Austin, Erick Villarreal, Vicky Nguyen, Kelly Vasquez, Johanna Calderon, Samantha Iniguez, Alejandro Ambriz, Mariana Montoya ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha DISTRIBUTION Steven Adamo Gustavo Buenrostro ADVISERS Jean Stapleton Sylvia Rico-Sanchez Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the property of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 300 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers must sign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303. East Los Angeles College Campus News 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 265-8819, Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910 The East Los Angeles College Campus News is published as a learning experience, offered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof.
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EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
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Workshop offers students help with applications being hired are. Although it is best to stay short, Staff Writer the key to a strong resume is giving the necessary information needed to Tori Saruwatari, a career and job give the reader a clear view of who service representative, went over the applicant is and what they do. the importance of a resume at a For example, instead of workshop. The workshop is to help w r i t i n g “ C o l l a b o r a t e d w i t h students who plan on attending the community agencies and nonprofit future Hire a Husky event(s). organizations” applicants should S h e s a i d a r e s u m e i s a n quantify things to paint a better introduction to employers and picture. evaluators of your skills, abilities, Applicants should say something accomplishments, educational like ‘Collaborated with other training and work history. community She advised agencies and a t t e n d e e s n o n p r o f i t when they are An elevator pitch should organizations to constructing available include who you are, locate their resume, it resources for is always better what you do and what parents in need of to keep it short social services.” and avoid long you’re looking for in this Saruwatari said paragraphs before attending opportunity. because when t h e j o b f a i r, people are going attendees should over a lot of take a moment to applications its easier on the eyes consider what it is they are looking to see well-detailed bullet points for in a job or internship. as opposed to lengthy paragraphs. Attendees should consider what She said that when someone they want to accomplish, what has a lot of applicants to consider industries interest them, what career the easier it is to understand who pathways they want to learn more you are the better your chances of about, and most importantly, they
BY SAMANTHA INIGUEZ
should have a strategy and make a list of organizations they want to speak to. Saruwatari said some employers attending the job fair will be conducting same-day interviews so she advises attendees to go dressed semi-casual and have a couple resumes at hand. She said some good pre-job-fair activities attendees should consider is to take 10-15 minutes to identify their top employers. She also said they should also consider talking with other employers first so they can be
warmed up and prepared when talking with their first choices. Ashley Soledad, a student at East Los Angeles College, said she was attending the event as a Counseling 20 student and between the class and events, like the preparation workshop, she has grown confident in her elevator speech and interviewing process in general, opening a lot of doors for her. Another thing prospective attendees should consider is constructing their perfect elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch should include who you are, what you do and what you’re looking for in this opportunity. She said when applicants have a good idea of what they want to let possible employers know it results in a smoother first impression. Saruwatari said if applicants get shy, they can always make the ice breaker about the interviewer by asking a question that revolves around them like “Hello my name is ... I am interested in your company. What were some of the things you did to get to where you are today?”
She also advised attendees to ask questions to show to the companies that they are interested. Questions like: What is the application process? What area(s) are you looking to hire? How soon are you looking to fill these positions? Saruwatari said if companies allow applying on a later date applicant should include a cover letter with their resumes explaining a little more on why they have an interest in the company. The career and job service department is open MondayThursday 10 a.m. -7 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.. If students need help strengthening their resumes, they can make an appointment to meet with a counselor at the career and job services department at 323415-4126. The Hire a Husky Job Fair is going to be today from 10 a.m.2 p.m. at the South Gate campus and on Wednesday from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. at ELAC’s main campus. Saruwatari said there will be on-site interviews, internships, volunteering opportunities, job openings and networking opportunities and about 50 different companies.
ELAC ranks #1 in hispanic demographic BY SAMANTHA INIGUEZ Staff Writer
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THEORY OF EVERYTHING—Tom Marble talks to the audience about the unfolding universe in relation to architecture at the Vincent Price Art Museum on Friday.
Architect encourages students to learn outside class BY SAMANTHA INIGUEZ Staff Writer The East Los Angeles College Architecture Department welcomed Tom Marble from Tom Marble Architecture to talk about his experience in the Architectural field. Marble said he was going to give a more theoretical approach with his presentation because it is what he draws most of his inspiration from. He said architecture was like the relationship between electrons in science. He said in physics an electron does not exist until it interacts with another electron the same way a house does not exist if the architect and the client don’t work together. Marble said the first time he noticed one of his neighborhood stores called “The Pantry,” it got sold and turned into something unfamiliar. He felt it was unfair that a piece of his neighborhood was taken away from him. He said it wasn’t until he got into architecture that he changed the way he viewed the city. A chapter he calls “the anxiety of the changing city” when he realized that the city is constantly changing
depending on who inhabits it and the way that they are interacting with the area around them. Marble showed the room a couple pictures comparing an old downtown to a modern-day downtown. He showed popular spots where Victorian style homes once stood, and now modern buildings and tall parking structures stand. He said it was then he realized having his own style was not important, so he never invested in it. Marble said “My buildings are not important. It is about the uses of different concepts. Not having certain style but instead the connection between the client and the rest of the team.” Marble said cities, like time, don’t exist. Instead they are both just reality unfolding. The cities change depending on who’s interacting with it. “Your view of the city is relative to your position in the city,” Marble said. He encouraged people looking to join the field when walking through the city to think of it not as a finished product but as a work in progress, and what they have to
offer a constantly evolving world. Marble said, “Even the houses and the projects that I have finished aren’t done because buildings don’t have a final form.” ELAC Professor Orhan Ayyüce said his goal when inviting architects that are well known in the area is to get students involved in the field. Instead of only being in the classroom with rulers and pencils Ayyüce said taking students out and allowing them to see the field through so many different lenses helps the students in their overall learning and professional career. He said it also allows students the opportunity to speak one-on-one with professionals and ask whatever questions they want answered. Students also get the advantage of networking with the presenters, occasionally landing them jobs. The Architecture Department plans on having three more guest speakers including Michael Fox and Juintow Lin of Foxlin Architects on Friday and Geoffrey Von Oeyen of Geoffrey Von Oeyen Design on May 17. Lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. Vincent Price Museum Lecture Hall.
Hispanic Outlook on Education ranked East Los Angeles College the number one community college in California and number six in the nation for hispanic students. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education is an american biweekly magazine which focuses on hispanic education in institutions of higher learning. The magazine ranked ELAC highly based off the 3,928 degrees and certificates awarded to students in 2017. Hispanic outlook said it is estimated that 2,688, or 68%, of those awards were given to hispanic students, so ELAC saw a 605 percent increase in degrees and certificates awarded to hispanic students based on data drawn from 2014-2015 in comparison to the 2017-2018, according to the chancellor’s office management informations. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education said, “because ELAC offers a variety of centers and support programs it is the best community college for Hispanics” The ELAC administration said the improvement is due to the programs and centers working throughout the school to make college a smoother experience for all students. Programs like Outreach serve as a linkage of higher education activities for the community, like high schools, and community and local government agencies. ELAC president Marvin Martinez said these programs are there to extend a hand to high school students, introduce them to the campus and all its resources making the transition easier for incoming students. He also said the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, which is state funded, is designed to go above and beyond other services
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offered on campus. Martinez said “EOPS was created to support students who are economically disadvantaged and lack access to education opportunities.” Opportunities including book grants so students don’t have to pay for textbooks, tutoring/individualized instruction and other services like private and group tutoring just for EOPS students. Financial aid assistance includes application fee waivers and financial aid advise that help students figure out how they will pay for college. EOPS also allows priority registration which helps students register early each semester to ensure they get the classes they need and personalized counseling and transfer assistance. Whether its academic or personal counselling, EOPS counselors are dedicated to helping students. Martinez said other resources like the transfer center provide a variety
of services, resources and programs designed to assist students in every step of the way in their transfer process. Another resource extended to students is the dream resource center which provides support to undocumented students, AB540 students, DACA recipients, LGBTQ identified student. The Dream Resource Center includes free or low-cost attorney consultations, physical and mental health services, housing support, food banks and other services. “I’m happy to be ranked so highly but we’re not done. The ELAC administration is working hard to be the best for our students,” Martinez said. The ELAC administration says their mission is to empowers students to achieve their educational goals, to expand their individual potential and to successfully pursue their aspirations for a better future for themselves, their community and the world.
`Small Business Week’ to foster students’ entreprenuerial spirit BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer The Business Administration Department will be having its first “Small Business Week” Monday through Thursday at the East Los Angeles College main campus. The week will be filled with various workshops where students and community members, who are prospective entrepreneurs, can get valuable information on starting a small business. This event was created to expand on this weeks “National Small Business Week” by adding another week of small business information. The event was created between Business professors Frank J. Aguirre, Laura E. Ramirez and Christopher Chin. This event is part of the Strong Workforce program and the funds went directly into creating the workshops. The program was created in an effort to create more career technical education jobs.
E L A C ’s “ S m a l l B u s i n e s s Week” was made with the busy entrepreneur in mind and has an aim to be accessible to all that attend. Aguirre said that most of the workshops are focused on topics that small business entrepreneurs can take advantage of at the onset of starting a new business. Chin said that the ELAC student population seemed to have a strong entrepreneurial mindset and that despite touching on a lot of the main things needed to start a business, classes taught don’t always focus enough on certain topics. The workshops scheduled were put together to answer questions on topics like these. “You ask most entrepreneurs, ‘what are they looking at,’ they’re looking at how to get money to start a business. ‘How do I get customers,’ You got marketing. How do you get people who can help and support them, outside of the workshop,” said Aguirre. These are just some of the topics that the workshops will address. Aguirre said that all the
workshops would be run by outside professionals. Each workshop tackles a specific topic and the Monday workshop will be dedicated to helping small business owners find resources and support in starting a business. This workshop will be held at F5-201. This workshop will be run by Beatriz Devi, who is an ELAC alum said Aguirre. Devis is an Economic Development Specialist and works for the needs of local small businesses through the Los Angeles District Office of the US Small Business Administration. A government group whose purpose is to help people start small businesses by helping get loans or counseling entrepreneurs. The Tuesday workshop, also in F5-201, will be all about the branding and marketing aspect of business. Zitlalic Ley, founder of “Latina Nerds,” will be leading the workshop. Her zeal to help latino communities learn about branding and technology coupled with years being outspoken for latinos from
Washington to Silicon Valley can be very informative. Loans for small businesses will be addressed on Wednesday, in F5-201, by José Juan Vega. Vega is a former Business Financial Consultant for Goldman Sachs, who has worked with multiple banks managing small business banking. His real world professional expertise would be vital when wondering how to get the money to start a business from the ground up. He currently is working at city of Los Angeles as a representative of a BusinessSource center in Boyle Heights. These centers are funded by the city as a business resource said Aguirre. On May 16 the workshop will be headlined by federal worker Jason Lott. Lott is an attorney advisor for trademark at the US Patent and Trademark office. The workshop will focus on the basics when it comes to trademarks and will be in the G3-Foyer.
Chin said that one of the most often overlooked things when it comes to small business is that intellectual properties are super important to protect. These four days are all about information gathering and learning when it comes to small business development. Aguirre said that all of the workshops will be in large rooms and he encourages teachers to bring their classrooms to a workshop if they’d like. Ramirez said the week is designed so that business students and entrepreneurs can get a higher level of awareness when it comes to starting their own business in the emerging “GIG Economy.” The idea of a “GIG Economy” is an economy made up of “independent contractors” and include “knowledge intensive industries and creative occupations” according to the Harvard Business Review. Ramirez said that the current rise in the “GIG Economy” is another reason to give the future group of
entrepreneurs knowledge of what is expected of them, as well as the responsibilities and liabilities they have as independent contractors. And that since so many different vocations and industries are now becoming part of the “GIG Economy” its important to know that these workshops are available to students from all disciplines at ELAC. Ramirez wanted to emphasize the main reason these workshops were being put on in the first place. “The main purpose for us is to make sure we make our students more aware of, number one, the opportunities that exist to start a business. The obligations and responsibilities that they have when they start a business,” said Ramirez. “To expand the entrepreneurial mindset and programs here at ELAC. That it’s not only the Business Department but its other departments also involved.” For additional information contact Alejandra Orozoc in the Business Department at OROZCOA3@ elac.edu. www.ELACCampusNews.com
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Features
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
Speech and Debate Team brings home win Team seizes second consecutive NFA title among California schools BY VICKY NGUYEN Staff Writer The East Los Angeles College Speech and Debate Team won their second consecutive community college championship title at the National Forensics Association Tournament in Santa Ana, which ran from April 18-22. At NFA, the team competed against fouryear universities as well as other community colleges. They placed second among California schools and 17th in the nation overall. When the team went up to receive their award during the awards ceremony, the sound was cut on the video recording, because the cheering was so loud. This win is in addition to their fifth consecutive state championship at the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in Reno, NV on April 8-13. However, the team will no longer be competing in the Phi Rho Pi tournament moving forward, choosing to focus solely on NFA, which many members feel to be more prestigious. “Here at ELAC, we have a great legacy. In order to honor what everyone has done in the past, we’re tired of playing minor league. We want to go major,” said Vice President of Debate William Kunkle. Kunkle took gold awards in International Public Debate Association style debate, persuasive speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and a silver in informative peaking at Phi Rho Pi.
“Here at ELAC, we have a great legacy. In order to honor what everyone has done in the past, we’re tired of playing minor league. We want to go major.” WILLIAM KUNKLE
Vice President of Speech and Debate
Richard Hu President of Speech said the Phi Rho Pi competitions focused more on simple subjects and entertainment rather than content. “Community college speech is more performance-based. It’s more like high school speech. NFA is more cut-throat, more critical,” Hu said. Hu took gold in Extemporaneous Speaking, bronze in After Dinner Speaking and bronze in Communication Analysis competitions at Phi Rho Pi. In order to prepare for the more rigorous competitions, Director David Hale began increasing the standards being placed on the students. “I think a lot of schools won’t put in the extra time and effort to pay attention to the details. Our coaches – we’re going to give them high, critical feedback, and that’s
a really tough process,” Hale said. “We have a very rigorous process in place that holds a high standard for what kind of work that’s expected.” Each student works with individual coaches who give them feedback on their work. On average, each student works about 10-15 hours each week to perfect their material. Eddie Diaz, Vice President of Speech, finds the process of getting critical feedback difficult but worthwhile. “It’s not necessarily a bad feeling. It’s more of like, ‘OK I’ve already overcome this many obstacles; there’s more for me to achieve,’” Diaz Said. “Sometimes, it can hurt. Straight up honesty, it hurts sometimes. But in the end, we all know this is going to improve us. We’re going to keep going.” Other awards that the team took from Phi Rho Pi competition include a silver in Extemporaneous Speaking and a bronze in Communication Analysis by Fidencio Jimenez, and a bronze in Communication Analysis by Kaitlyn Gonzalez. Although their fruits of labor could be attributed completely to their intense training, the team also insists their bond with one another is what makes them successful. “The one that makes us really successful is the way we look at each other, the way we connect as a family. We encourage each other. That’s what makes us thrive the most. We’re there for each other,” Diaz said.
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Child development professors prepare children for STEAM BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer Two East Los Angeles College Child Development professors are preparing Science, Technology, Science, Arts and Mathematics workshops aimed at interactive learning experiences for children. The workshops are meant to educate future teachers on the importance of exposing STEAM vocabulary to children early on. “Here at the center, we develop that foundation for learning— especially if we’re incorporating a lot of STEAM,” Nancy Duran from the ELAC Child Development Center said. When interacting with the children at the center, Duran uses words associated with STEAM. “When building with blocks, there’s the engineering aspect,” Duran said. If Duran sees a child playing with blocks, she will say things like “Oh, you’re being an engineer— I see how you’re stacking.” Not being afraid to use the terminology with the child, Duran said, helps develop confidence with the subjects later in life. Children at the center use the outdoor play area to observe lizards, squirrels and sometimes snails. www.ELACCampusNews.com
“That’s why we named it backyard life sciences because of the importance of just walking to your backyard, walking outdoors— exposing children to life sciences,” Duran said. The outdoor play area at the center is in the early stages of being remodeled to further include STEAM projects. From toddlers to kindergarteners, all were involved in the process of designing their ideal backyard play area. They were shown a series of photographs with different play areas and compiled them into booklets showing their ideal play area. According to Duran, including art into STEM is a way for children to connect with the sciences and personalize it. Some examples Duran mentioned include making a collage of themselves with leaves and observing garden snails. “Feeling it, touching it, learning about the shell and sketching it out,” Duran said. Children are encouraged to share their observations on how the snail moves over various surfaces. “Both of us teach creative experiences for young children, so we include a lot of visual arts and music, drama and other components,” said Rokeya Rahman,
Assistant professor for the Child Family and Education Department. “Any innovation has to have a creative component to it.” Rokeya and Duran worked together for three months developing the workshop. Out of 225 applicants, this program was accepted to be presented at this year’s annual California Association for the Education of Young Children conference and expo. The conference allows educators to network and exchange ideas on what works in the classroom, though Duran would like to work with other departments on campus that fit into STEAM curriculum. Rahman said they’re teaching future pre-school teachers on how to include STEAM into the curriculum classroom activities. Last year, a test-run of the workshop took place on campus. According to both Duran and Rahman, the goal is to create a learning environment that focuses on life sciences, but can be accessible anywhere— like a back yard. The next step for Duran and Rahman is to seek training and resources to implement STEAM into the classrooms, Child Development Center and future workshops. “It’s part of community building, which is important as well,” Duran said.
COURTESY OF JEDI CURVA
DEBATE MASTERS—From left to right on the top row, Charles Vuong, Katlyn Gonzalez,
Eddie Diaz, Charlotte Yang, William Kunkle, David Reyes, Fidencio Jimenez, Richard Hu, Jordyn Alexis and Santiago Lopez with the awards they won at National Forensics Association Tournament.
Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
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ELAC theater to revamp 'The Crucible' BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer
Students of the East Los Angeles College Theater Arts department will present a contemporary interpretation of Arthur Miller’s celebrated play, “The Crucible,” from May 17-26. Kelly Hogan, the production’s director, said they will be breaking the play down to its essential elements and will use minimal set pieces. Miller’s play is a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts during the 1600s. It’s an allegory for McCarthyism and the persecution of people believed to be communists by the U.S. government. The plot follows an investigation into an alleged case of witchcraft in a Puritan town that threatens to expose an affair between a local farmer and a girl suspected in the investigation. It’s driven by the lies each character tells to project a facade to the rest of the community. “Thematically, I think the play is about truth and lies, which is timely,” Hogan said. She said the subject of truth is prominent in public discussion as well as relevant to our daily lives. “The one time Elizabeth (played by Gabriela Mendoza) tells a lie in this story, the whole thing falls
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DECONSTRUCTION—Kelly Hogan deconstructs the play and BEFORE THE SHOW—Cast members of the play listen to the discussion as each person explains what makes ELAC's production different than other "The Crucible" plays.
took turns talking about their roles.
apart. We all lie, so I think we can all relate to that,” she said. To avoid having audiences focus on the plays’ time setting, ELAC’s production will take the characters out of the 1600s in favor of a contemporary depiction of the story. Hogan said the costumes are
built a national reputation for the quality of its productions. Its performance of “Chavez Ravine” was praised and received a plaque of recognition at the 2019 American College Theater Festival 51, region 8. This performance of Miller’s
being designed to be “timeless,” leaving the time period the story takes place in ambiguity. “We don’t want them to focus on what happened in the past. Instead, we want the story to resonate with them,” Hogan said. ELAC’s theater department has
classic allegory will likely be one local theater fans will not want to miss if the quality of productions ELAC students have put on in the past are anything to go by. “The best thing about theater is that no two productions are exactly the same. Once a cast puts on a show
you never get to see the exact same one again. “Theater also reflects what’s going on at whatever time period. It’s written in or performed in, but your supposed to find your own view of what the playwright really meant,” Hogan said.
Real-life tragedy brought to Hulu BY JOHANNA CALDERON Staff Writer
COURTESY OF VOLTAGE PICTURES
CONFRONTATION —Kendall, played by Lily Collins, visits Ted Bundy to verify whether the accusations made against him are true or not.
Zac Efron portrays Ted Bundy BY JUAN CALVILLO Staff Writer The Netflix film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” tells the story of Ted Bundy through the perspective of his fiance, Elizabeth Kendall. The movie is based on the book written by Kendall, “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy.” In the Netflix adaptation of the novel, the movie shows Kendall meeting Bundy and takes viewers to the end of Bundy’s execution. “Evil and Vile” is truly a hypnotic movie to behold. The picture painted begins to show Bundy as a somewhat sympathetic or mistakenly accused man. Smartly though, it also allows for the audience to slowly begin to chastise themselves as Bundy racks up accusation after accusation. This is handled through the slow realization from Kendall, portrayed by Lily Collins, has about Zac Efron’s character, Bundy. Collins is an extremely gifted actress and her role as Bundy’s fiancé shows the powerhouse skill and talent she’s acquired over multiple movies. From the moment the audience meets Kendall, it is perfectly clear that there is something inherently broken or missing in her life. Almost all of the pain, joy, and sadness in the movie truly comes
through Collins’ eyes and slight facial expressions. The best example of the inner turmoil her character goes through is perfectly seen when Kendall and Bundy have a heart-to-heart conversation late in the film. This is not to say that Collins’ co-star, Efron, is a slouch as Bundy. The charismatic serial killer, can be argued as the first courtroom reality star. Archival footage proves that dramatic license was hardly taken during some of the more impossibly odd moments in the movie. These scenes were very much like the real life moments that the once-living Bundy had. Efron exudes the same level of charisma on screen as Bundy had in his daily life. Every lie, half truth and promise Efron makes as Bundy is believable and feels true. The simple twist of his smile makes the audience forget that the person on screen is the villain and it’s all due to Efron’s effortless acting and charm. This is one of the reasons it’s so easy to like Bundy. The film also never shows any of the killings that Bundy claimed were his own. This makes it even harder to really hate him. Luckily though, the facade that Bundy had built around him slowly falls away and the charming side of Bundy shows its cracks as the
movie goes on. In later moments the quick change from confidence to anger and edginess is impressive. And Efron handles all of it effortlessly. The movie has an interesting line up of additional big named stars from Jim Parsons and Haley Joel Osment to John Malkovich, but it’s Malkovich who stays with the audience after viewing the movie. Playing Florida Judge Edward D. Cowart, Malkovich portrayal reflects what many people at the time, and many after seeing this movie, were of two minds when it came to Bundy. Netflix has made countless strides in the entertainment industry and has set itself apart by doing both movies and television with ease. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is an interesting take on the story of serial killer Bundy. The acting and rawness of the characters, specifically Collins, shows just how easy it can be to twist the mind and emotions of a person. It also reminds the viewer that while Bundy was a serial murder, he also managed to destroy the lives of those immediately around his victims and those around himself. “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is rated R for disturbing/violent content, some sexuality, nudity, and language. It is available to stream now on Netflix.
Hulu released a powerful and interesting mini-series called “The Act,” which tells the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, played by Joey King, and her manipulative mother Dee Dee Blanchard, played by Patricia Arquette. In the beginning of the series, we see a very ill Gypsy Blanchard surviving day-to-day by taking various medications for the diseases her mother says she has and completing visits to the doctor. This may give the audience a sense of sadness but as the story unfolds that feeling begins to disapper. Viewers soon learn that Gypsy’s mom uses her disabilities to scam the system to gain money. Dee Dee is able to do this by manipulating Gypsy and making her believe that she is ill and needs her mother to take care of her. She even goes as far as hiding Gypsy’s birth certificate from her. She is able to do this because she says all of Gypsy’s medical records were lost during hurricane Katrina. Dee Dee had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health problem where a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury to a person under his or her care. Throughout the series, the audience can see the type of pain Gypsy endures, both physically and mentally.
Some of these examples include Dee Dee shaving her head for no reason, Gypsy getting fed through a feeding tube, even though she can eat normally, and Dee Dee saying she is allergic to sugar. There is a scene in episode two where Gypsy's teeth are hurting because she had been sneaking to the kitchen to eat sweets and drink soda. Her mother told her that she’s allergic to sugar but after a visit to the doctor, Gypsy realizes that she actually isn’t allergic to sugar. Her teeth then begin to rot because of all of the late-night sugar runs. The mother decides to get back at her by taking her to the dentist to get her teeth extracted. When Gypsy finally realized what was about to happen, she started to cry and tell her mother to stop the doctor. After the procedure, Gypsy feels embarrassed but viewers can see the happiness and evil in Dee Dee’s eyes. This is just one of the various ways that Dee Dee manages to get revenge on Gypsy for attempting to go against her word. There are points in the series where Gypsy tries to communicate with people other than her mother but fails. On her 18th birthday, Dee Dee tries to get Gypsy to sign over her medical rights. The fact that they were able to include details like this show just how evil Dee Dee was. The camera angles used gave viewers a good idea of the setting
and a better feel of the rural location they lived in. Throughout the series, Dee Dee is so manipulative that even other people begin to believe her and her wicked ways. The audience is able to see how far Dee Dee went to get money by using the sympathy of others. Not only does she steal and manipulate, but also manages to teach her daughter how to do so. King portrays Gypsy perfectly. She looks and sounds like the real Gypsy Blanchard, which adds a natural feel to the story. She even had a replica of the glasses that Gypsy used in real life. King studied well for the role and in an interview mentions that she was nervous to audition for the part. The people in charge of the set did a great job at making the house from the show look like the house that was really given to Dee Dee and Gypsy. Arquette did an excellent job of portraying Dee Dee. Her acting was so believable because the audience is able to see her true intentions and how persuasive she is. “The Act” gives viewers a closer look at the true story of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard. There are other portrayals of the story, but this seems to be the most accurate both visually and story wise. Everyone involved did a great job at bringing this show and story to light. There are a total of eight episodes and all are available to watch on Hulu.
COURTESY OF HULU
MOTHER KNOWS BEST—Gypsy, played by Joey King, feels embarrassed having her teeth extracted per her mother's instruction. Dee Dee, played by Patricia Arquette, pushes her on a wheelchair. www.ELACCampusNews.com
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Sports
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019
Softball breaks even in overall record BY MELISA VALENZUELA Staff Writer
The softball team wrapped up the spring season with an overall record of 19-19 and a conference record of 9-13. “Last year was a little bit better in terms of record, but this year was a good year too,” Erika Blanco, head coach of the ELAC softball team said. The Huskies were off to a rough start. They lost the first seven games of the season, three of which were conference games. One factor that lead to the losses was that a majority of the team was made up of freshman players who were new to the college softball experience. “We had 16 freshman and that’s a challenge because they’re all young. They don’t know what to expect,” Blanco said. Introducing the freshman to another level turned out to be one of their challenges throughout the season. However, the Huskies managed to bring it together mid season for a seven game winning streak starting with an 11-1 win against Rio Hondo. “I think in the middle of the season was probably our best time. Seeing the girls overcome a zero and seven start was a highlight for me. We were on a roll,” Blanco said. The Huskies went on to win nine out of their last 19 games and did not qualify for postseason play. Despite this, freshman first baseman Puatausaga “Pua” Johnson was named to the All-South Coast Conference North First Team and led the conference with a .460 batting average and a .522 on-base percentage. Four other Huskies were honored at the end of the season as well.
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HARDBALL—Serena Lopez pitches towards the plate in a 9-6 loss at home against Chaffey College on February 28.
Sophomore shortstop Julie Granadeno, freshman catcher Melanie “Baby Shark” Torres and sophomore third baseman Jennifer Rivera made the All-SCC North Second Team. Sophomore pitcher Majisty Shomo received honorable mention. Both Blanco and assistant coach Cindy Lucero are looking forward to next season. “I’m excited. We’re bringing in a lot of freshman recruits,” Lucero said.
In addition to the recruits, 16 freshman will return as sophomores, making next season’s team more experienced and less intimidated by the big college stadiums that they get to play in. “These 16 are definitely going to be our leaders next year,” Blanco said. Blanco and Lucero also mentioned how important it is for the rest of the school to support the softball team because the girls sacrifice a lot to play.
“They practice 30 hours a week, some of them have jobs, they run, they lift and they carry a full time schedule,” said Blanco. One way to support the team is to participate in fundraisers. Softball equipment is expensive and there are more than 20 girls on the team. “Cleats for 20 girls is about $1500,” Lucero said. Another way to support the team would be to go to a game. “If any students can come out and catch a game, that would be awesome,” Blanco said.
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WARNING TRACK—Puatausaga Johnson watches the ball
after her hit against Chaffey College on February 28 at home in a 9-6 loss.
Guard elevates his talents BY CHER ANTIDO Staff Writer
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GEARING UP—Defensive end, Ben Key, prepares for the offensive play in a 44-26 loss against
Mt. San Antonio College away on Covina District Field on September 22.
Key commits to D-1 University BY LUIS CASTILLA Staff Writer
Aussie Husky Ben Key used to play rugby in Australia and has now committed to play football for Mississippi State University. Key is a 19-year-old defensive lineman who wears the number 57 for the East Los Angeles College football team. He said many schools were interested in him like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Oregon and Auburn State University, however, he committed to Mississippi State University last week. Key said he chose Mississippi State University because of their honesty. “Mississippi State kept it real with me and I want to be coached by people that are honest,” Key said. Key is the only community college student in California who has been given an offer from the Southeastern Conference, which Key says is known for getting players into the National Football League. “They get a lot of d-linemen out to the NFL and at the end of the day, I want to get to the NFL,” Key said. Despite playing in a rugby team www.ELACCampusNews.com
Ben Key in Australia, Key’s rugby coach, Vita Tuinavai asked him if he wanted to try out football. “I played rugby over there. I just came here to try something new,” Key said. Coming from a different athletic background, Key found it difficult getting used to the new sport at first. “Learning the game was a huge learning curve,” Key said. Key said his football coaches, Robert Godinez and Brian Dixon helped him overcome the challenge of learning a new sport.
“They were hard on me, but they were light on me too if they saw that I was stressing out about the game,” Key said. “They kept it real with me, kept it honest, and I think that’s why I came this far.” Even though his coaches didn’t know much about rugby, Key was able to find similarities between the two sports and used that to speed up his learning process. Key said he could have pursued a career in rugby, but decided not to. “I’m all for being different, to be honest. All my mates and cousins are all doing rugby, so I was like, ‘I’ll just go try something new,’” Key said. The different opportunities available in the American football system led Key to pursue football. “Football is a good sport. There are a lot of opportunities in football like getting a degree and looking after our family,” Key said. “In rugby, the system is not like this. You just play and if you get injured, you just go back to work in the factory.” Key’s family is back in Australia, but he is doing everything he can to make them proud. “I do this for them to look after them in the future. They did a lot for me, so I can’t wait to see what I can do for them,” Key said.
East Los Angeles College student and basketball player Jermaine Camacho-Small revealed his scoring ability and agility to be the reasons he was recruited to play for California State University, Los Angeles Golden Eagles. He was influenced by his father to play basketball. His father played professional basketball when he was younger, but that wasn’t the only reason Camacho-Small started playing. He’s had a passion for the sport since he was a kid. He plays guard for the ELAC Huskies and will transfer to CSULA this fall. He said he chose the school because their recruiting team did well in scouting him. He feels like he could trust them and it allows him to stay close to COURTESY OF DEEDEE JACKSON home. “CSULA even gives me an opportunity to play professional if FINISH AT THE RIM—Jermaine Camacho-Small rises to the I can perform at a high level on the basket against Chaffey College in a 78-70 victory on January 23 in the South Gym. court,” Camacho-Small said. Camacho-Small doesn’t dwell on losses or bad things that happen on offense,” he said. out what he could’ve done better on the court. The player doesn’t feel pressure and just focus on the next game,” He plays his best and comes off Cardenas said. strong, a tactic that has worked well while he’s playing. He comes prepared for the worst Wi t h a m a j o r i n b u s i n e s s for him so far. D u r i n g t h e S o u t h C o a s t and moves on to the next play to do management, Camacho-Small better. doesn’t let his academics and play Conference “ P r e s s u r e get in the way with each other. North Division isn’t in my He makes sure he puts in the same Championship earlier this year, “Definitely getting a full vocabulary,” he effort in academics as he does with athletics. E L A C w o n ride to university so my said. “During a “I know the importance of both so the conference mom doesn’t have to pay close game, you I made sure I was able to put in the title, making for anything...” don’t really get necessary hours for both,” he said. it their fourth concerned if you Getting into CSULA is one of his consecutive win. make a mistake proudest achievements. Camachobecause you’re Camacho-Small finds motivation JERMAINE CAMACHO-SMALL Small scored 31 ELAC Guard prepared for that from his parents and ensures his points during its moment during success will benefit them as well game against El practice.” as himself. Camino. Teammate Jason Cardenas said no “Definitely getting a full ride to He said he started the game with player likes to lose and Camacho- a university so my mom doesn’t an aggressive mindset. “I made like my first 4 shots and Small is certainly no different, but have to pay for anything and just being able to play the game I love from there on out, my teammates he doesn’t let it affect his game. “He’s the type of player to figure everyday,” he said. were looking for me coming down